Improvement in houses



J. DEGOMBE.

-House.

No. 204,545. Patented June 4, I878.

Witnesses UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH DECOMBE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HOUSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 204,545, dated J nne 4, 1878; application filed April 10, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH DECOMBE, of the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented an Improved Construction of Houses, &c.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to an improved construction of houses by which the gables may be dropped back from their places and the sides of the roof raised for ventilation and light.

It consists in hinging each side of the roof to the top of the upright end timbers, so that either or both sides of the roof may be raised by their lower edges and sustained in that position, at any desired angle, by means of a brace hinged to the side braces of the upright timber, and engaging adjustably with a plate on the under side of the roof.

It also consists in so hinging the gables that they may be dropped down so as to leave the upper ends of the building open. This construction of building is more particularly adapted for warm countries, where complete ventilation is desirable. It may also be used in colder climates for such structures as are used for street-stands.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the figure is a perspective view of my invention.

Let A represent the lower portion of an ordinary house. The vertical end timbers B are extended upward, as shown, and their upper ends are formed of iron, by the iron extension 0 being formed with a socket which fits over the end of the timbers B. Each side of the roof D is made with rafters and shingles, or other covering, as is usual; but the rafters are fastened at top and bottom to horizontal timbers, which make each side of the roof separate and distinct from the main structure, these horizontal timbers not being secured to either the plates or apex permamently, except as hereinafter described.

Through the upper part of the iron portion C of the end timbers B are pivoted the bolts, forming parts of the hinges E, attached to the sides D of the roof. These hinges admit of the sides of the roof being opened or raised,

as the lower edges of the rafters are not secured to the plates of the lower portion A of the building, except as hereinafter described.

The side braces F are secured to the plates (not shown) of the lower portion of the house and to the lower portion of the iron extension C of the uprights, thus forming braces for the uprights, and drawing the extension-pieces C firmly into place, where they hold them. On these side braces F are pivoted the hinged braces G, which, when not in use, hang down beside the side braces F. When the sides of the roof are raised, however, these hinged braces G, having their outer ends turned at right angles, as shown, engage with the holes inthe plate H on the under part of the sides of the roof, and support the sides in their raised position. There are a number of these holes in the plate H, so that the side D of the roof may be set at any desired angle by en gaging the hinged brace G with one or another of the holes. By disengaging the hinged brace from the holes in the plate and dropping the brace down beside the one to which it is hinged the sides of the roof are allowed to fall into place again, and appear the same as an ordinary fixed roof.

At the point where the hinged brace G is attached to the side brace F is another diagonal brace, 1, the lower end of which is secured to the upright timbers B. The combination of the three braces, as described, serves to hold the sides of the roof in position, when raised, without bringing undue strainin any particular portion, and the braces F and I serve to strengthen and steady the upright timbers B to resist storms or wind.

The gables J of the building are in the usual triangular shape, to conform to the angle at which the roof lies when in the ordinary closed position. These gables are hinged, as shown, to the plates (not shown) at the ends of the building. Another set of hinges higher up on the gable form it into two parts, the lower portion being shown at J and the upper at K.

Pins or bolts L pass through holes in the two portions of the gable, and engage with the upright timber B, the inner ends of the pins or bolts L having eyes formed in them, through which a pin is passed, thus keeping the gable in position. The inner portion of the sides D of the roof are so formed that when the sides are down they close over the upper edges of the gable and make tight joints, and assist in keeping the gables also in position. \Vhen the sides of the roof are raised the pins L through the gable may be removed and the gables swung back by their hinges, then the upper part K of the gable will rest with its point on the ground, standing vertically, while the other part, J, will extend horizontally, one set of its hinges being attached to the upper edge of the lower part of the house A and the other set to the upper part of the gable. By this means the roof and gable-ends of the house are removable at will, so that they can be opened for ventilation or light. The gable may be made in any desired number of sections.

When the gable-ends are in position, and the roof down also, the house will look like an ordinary dwelling. When I desire to have more light or air, I unhook the fastening or clasp M, which secures the sides of the roof in place when closed, raise the side of the roof up, and keep it in position by engaging the hook on the end of the hinged brace G with the holes in the plate H. I then remove the pins L through the gable and allow the hinged gable to drop down, as described. The air can then pass freely through the upper part of the building, while the rays of the sun are kept out in the middle of the day, when the sun is the hottest. Only one side of the roof need be raised if the sun is in a position to shine into the house were the other side raised also. In tropical countries this construction is particularly desirable.

This construction can also be adopted for street-stalls, for fruit and vegetable stands, &c. In such cases the side of the roof from the sun can be raised and the fruit or vegetables placed on what would be the upper part of the ceiling of our ordinary house. When used for this purpose, the gables, from their peculiar position when dropped, serve as extensions on either end of the stall or stand. The sides of the roof can be locked at night by means of a hasp, M, and padlock, and in the day-time the ends can be dropped and the roof raised, as described, making an open stall.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The main body or house A, with its end timbers B, having the iron extension-pieces C and bearings for hinging the roof-sides, in combination with the braces F, to secure the extension-pieces and support the end timbers, substantially as herein described.

2. The roof-sides D, hinged at E, as shown, and provided with the plates H, in combination with the hinged brace-rods G, engaging adjustably with said plates H and the braces F and I, substantially as shown and described.

3. The gable composed of the two parts J and K, hinged to each other and to the main portion A, as shown, and provided with the locking-pins L, to be secured to the upright posts, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand and seal.

JOSEPH DECOMBE.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. STRONG, FRANK A. BRooKs. 

